Everyone can’t stop raving about the latest Stephen King TV adaptation, which we all eagerly anticipated for so long before its terrifying premiere days ago. IT: Welcome to Derry from HBO arrived on October 26, 2025, and is already making history on the streaming charts in less than a week! The series is, of course, based on King’s 1986 bestseller and serves as a prequel to the 2017 and 2019 hits It and It Chapter Two, both of which see Bill Skarsgård as the infamous Pennywise.
In new reports, the first episode of IT: Welcome to Derry amassed 5.7 million US viewers within the first three days of viewing across HBO and HBO Max, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed. The company also noted that this puts the supernatural show among the top three series debuts globally in the history of HBO Max, behind only House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. This is certainly a huge win for the It franchise, as Welcome to Derry, which airs Sunday nights, is off to a pretty strong start, even more impressive than HBO’s fan-favorite, Task, that previously aired in the same slot but premiered to 3.1 million viewers in September.
As an expansion of the It universe, IT: Welcome to Derry was developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, all of whom were involved in the sequel films. The series stars Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, and Mikkal Karim-Fidler, with Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise from the films. Skarsgård also serves as an executive producer alongside the show’s creators, as well as Brad Caleb Kane, David Coatsworth, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and Shelley Meals, while Lyn Lucibello-Brancatella produces.
When Will ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Return?
Halloween began with an amazing treat for It fans! Following the premiere of IT: Welcome to Derry days ago, the second episode was made available early on HBO Max in celebration of the spooky season, premiering today, October 31, at 3 am ET. If you missed it, not to worry—the episode will still run on HBO as scheduled on November 2 at 9 pm ET, while the remaining episodes will continue to air Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, leading up to the December 14 season finale.
Stick with Collider for more horrific Welcome to Derry news!
- Release Date
-
October 26, 2025
- Network
-
HBO
